Process of making snap-fasteners.



G. E. PRENTICE.

PROCESS OF MAKING SNAPFASTENERS. APPLICATION FILED OCT 29, 1915.

1,21%,481. Patented Jan. 30,1917.

I. Eff/WM.

an an GEORGE E. PRENTICE, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

PROCESS OF MAKING SNAP-FASTENERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 191?.

Application filed October 29, 1915. Serial No. 58,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PRENTIOE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at processes of making snapfasteners, and the object of my improvement is simplicity and economy in.construction and, convenience and efliciency in use.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan View, considerablyenlarged, showing'my. improved snap fastener. Fig. 2 is a bottom View ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 1 is a plan Viewof the socket member only. Fig. 5 is a sec-. tionalview on the line m wof Fig. 1. Fig. 6

is a plan view of the blank for the securing plate for the socketmember, in the condition previous to having the edge turned inwardly forbeing secured to the wirebody portion of the socket "member. Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the same. .Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modification ofthe socket 'me'm- I ber made of sheet metal. Fig. 9 is a sectionalview-on the line y y of Fig. 8, the form for the blank being indicatedby broken lines. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blank for the socketmember shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are viewscorresponding to Figs. 8, 9, and 10, showing another modification of thesocket member, also made of sheet metal. Fig. 14 is a sectional view, onan enlarged scale, on the line a z of Fig. 13, the form of the finishedsocket member being indicated by broken lines.

My improved snap-fastener comprises a ball member and a socket member.The said ball member has a flat body portion 10 provided with openings11 for the thread by which the same is secured to one portion ofa'garment, and a'ball 12at the middle portion thereof and connectedtherewith by means of a neck 13. The ball ,12 and neck 13 are generallyof ordinary form and have the usual curved form of contour, except thatthe neck 13 is shorter than usually found in snap-fasteners of the sameclass as that in which my improved device is found.

The socket member comprises a body portion formed of wire and a securingplate 14 for holding the same in the particular form desired. The saidbody portion comprises a pluralityof radially positioned loops 15, allin one plane, the openings 16 inclosed bythe apex portions of the loops15 and the body portions of the arms there of serving as. openings forreceiving the stitches for securing the socket member to the garment;

The end portions 17 of vthe arms of the loops 15 are connected to thecorresponding end portionsof the adjacent loops, preferably by a returnbend of the wire, as shown,

the connecting portions or bends 18 uniting to form the border wall forthe ball receiving opening 19 at the middle of the socket member, andwhich opening is a good fit for the neck 13 of the ball 12. I

Furthermore, the wire of which the body portion of the socket member isformed is of circular cross-section and of a size to correspond closelyto the curvature of the opposed wall at the junction of the neck 13 andball 12. Thus sharp corners are avoided in the engaging parts of thesocket member and ball member and long life of these parts is insured.

The ends 20 of the wire preferably meet toform the apex portion of oneof the loops 15.

The wire body portion of the socket member as described constitutes theactive portion of the said socket member, the *wire being suflicientlyresilient to give way and permit the ball 12 to be entered through themiddle opening 19 and when the-connecting portions 18 have cleared theball 12 to spring the said connecting portion 18 back into engagingposition against the neck 13.

In order to hold the parts of the wire body portion in thenormaF-position I provide some form of securing means, such as thesecuring plate 14, of annul ar form. The said securing plate engageswith the apex portions of the loops 15, being previous to assembly ofcupform, comprising the annular base plate 21, and the cylindrical upturnedperipheral rim or edge 22. The wire body portion is placed on the baseplate 21. and the free edge portion 23 of the rim 22 is turned over onthe outer face thereof,thus forming a reliable mechanical connection forthe parts.

In the sheet metal form shown in Fi s. 8, 9 and 10 the socket memberconsists o a single piece of sheet material of disk-like form, having acomplete circular peripheral edge. The same comprises theball rec'eivinghole 19 at the middle, a plurality of angularly spacedstitching"receivingholes 16 in the body portion, and radial slits 24 connectingthe holes 16 and opening 19%. Thus there are formed between the slits24:-

a plurality of arms 25, extending inwardly from the peripheral portion,and which cooperate as spring arms to form a yielding socket forcoeperating with the ball 12 and neck 13. 4

In order to provide proper resiliency of .the sheet material and toprovide also a is compressed a predetermined amount by a flat die, theedge portions assuming a bulging or rounded formation as shown in Fig.9. i

It is understood-that the blank is formed by punching by means of dies,which operation results in forming a generally straight edge, with sharpcorners, the edge being essentially a raw or rough edge and the cornersbeing liable to out a thread or towear away if used to any appreciableextent as a bearing edge.

The compression rocess described serves to produce a finished effect tothe ed e, that is smooth and hard,'and suitable or use as a bearing edgeindefinitely, without liability of damage. Q

The sheet metal form of socket member shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 isalso. formed from a blank of greater thickness than the finishedarticle, as indicated in Figs. 12 and 13' and is compressed to-the.desired thick ness for the reasons described with reference to thestyleshown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, and the same diflers therefrom in that theperiphery instead of being circular, corresponds to the form of theloops 15 The holes 16", and opening 19 are generally similar to thoseshown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. Thus the structure corresponds generally tothat of the wire form shown in Fig. 1, and differs therefrom in beingmade of one piece. The advantage of this form is that the entirestructure is adapted to yield when the ball 12 is entered through theball receiving opening 19". The connecting portions 18 form the boundingwall' for the opening 19", and when these .are engaged by the ball 12they yield by a bending move- 4 ment in the direction of the movement ofthe ball and also are thrust outwardly radially so that momentarily theloops 15 are slightly expanded, or opened outwardly. Because of thecoeperative yielding movement described every part of the material ofthe socket member is active, and there is no straining of any partbeyondthe elastic limit, so long life and continued usefulness to thefull extent is insured. The rounded edge effect and the, hardeningfeature I find to be of particular importance in the form described andshown in the said Figs.

ber, involving-the passage of the ball through the central opening, areadapted to yield by a combination of a transverse or bending movementand an outwardly 'directed thrust movement, and because of theresiliency of the material to resume the normal position, substantiallyin a common plane, after the ball has passed the inner extremities ofthe said arms.

The open] spaces 24 and QP-between the arms of the loops 15 and 15 inthe styles" shown in Figs. 1. and 11 permit the said arms to yieldfreely and serve to produce a superior yielding eifect for theseparticular forms of socket member, the skeleton formation of thesestructures permitting the entire material to be active in'the engagingand disengaging of the ball member.

In the sectional View shown in Fig. 14 the blank is shown in full lines,ona very much exaggerated scale, and the-"outline of thefinishedarticle, obtained by compress ing the blank, is shown in broken lines.The parts actually shown in section are rectangular, ahnost square, andrepresent substantially the form of cross-section for the entire contourof the blank, as shown in plan view in Fig. 13, except at corners at theends of the connecting portions of bends 18", where there is some slightsurplusage of materiaL- While the walls are substantially flat andthecorners are square and sharp as usual with such parts formed by meansof dies, actually there 'is a rawness and roughness to these parts,particularly after the dies have been used more or less.

By treating the blank by compression in the manner described the raw andrough effect referred. to disappears and in lieu ber for a snap fastenerhaving a central ball receiving opening comprising providing a. blank ofappreciably greater thickness than the finished socket member and havinga central opening and a plurality of radial passage Ways extendingoutwardly from the said opening, and compressing the said blank to thedesired thickness for the said finished socket member.

2. The process of forming a socket member comprising providing a blankhaving a central hole, a plurality of lateral holes, and connectingpassages interconnecting the said lateral holes and central hole, andcompressing the said blank appreciably so as to harden the material andprovide a rounded contour for the border walls of the said holes. v

3. The process of forming a socket member for a snap fastener snltablefor'coopcrating with a ball member having a ball supported from a baseby a reduced neck comprising punching from sheet metal a blank in theform of an endless structure of substantially uniform cross-section atall parts of the contour, the material of the said blank being of Wavyform and extending by a plurality of bends back and forth between theouter side and the central portion, the portions at the middle beingsepa-' ratedby an open space that is slightly large for a fit for thesaid reduced neck, the said material having thickness in excess of thatof the finished socket member, and compressing the said blank to thedesired thickness and thereby simultaneously closing inwardly the edgesof the-said portions at the

